Why I’m backing Andy Burnham for leader

By Brian Simpson MEP

I will be supporting Andy Burnham for leader of the Labour Party because I firmly believe he has the right leadership qualities to take the Party back to Government. Andy belongs to no faction; he was loyal to both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown when they were Prime Minister, and unlike others, he spent his time trying to implement Labour Party policy in government as opposed to undermining our Prime Minister at crucial stages of the last government.

Reliable, loyal, in touch with the grass-roots membership and a man of total integrity, passion and commitment is what our party needs to lead it forward in the future. We face difficult times in our country. Our welfare state is under attack, the public sector is being decimated in the name of fiscal cutbacks, many people face the prospect of unemployment and the very principle of social justice is under attack.

That is why it is important to have a leader who will defend the vulnerable, who will fight the cause of social justice, who will be inclusive and respect our party membership, who will not decide policy in a closed room or London restaurant with a clique of cohorts, but will include all sections of the party. That leader is Andy Burnham.

I have known Andy for a number of years and I believe he is the man to re-ignite our party into a campaigning party – a party that can relate to the electorate and their problems and aspirations. Importantly, I believe Andy Burnham as leader will not become detached or aloof from the party and the wider British public and he will ensure that our campaigning will start at the grass roots level; on the street, in the Town Halls and workplaces.

The Labour Party needs a leader who is different and who can inspire us all in the battles that lie ahead. I believe we have a clear choice in this election. We can choose the old Blair way, or the old Brown way. Or we can choose a new way, a different way; a campaigning way that includes us all – the Andy Burnham way.